Gain My Freedom
by Ghost-Drive
Summary: Aqua, a child of a family of priestesses, was torn in front of two choices. Should she stay a princess and stay with her knight, or should she run to be with the demon? R&r!


Yes, it is another fan-fiction _again_, and I'm not really guaranteeing that this one will get the same update rate as Void: Broken Pieces... well, though that really depends on the reviews...

This is my first try into romance fictions- and may turn a little bit awkward in the romance scenes.

Text in **bold** are emphasized points, meanwhile text in _italic_ are pieces of thoughts from the characters.

For those not very familiar to "Legend of Mana"- this story might seem quite an original piece of plotline, but it is **not**. For those who are- might just spoil it now for better understanding.

This story is taken from the "Gato Love Triangle" plotline, with character replacing as follows:

**Terra** is replacing **Escad.**  
**Ventus** is replacing **Daena.** (Yeah, I know it's strange, but no other choice...)  
**Vanitas** is replacing **Irwin.  
**And of course, **Aqua** is replacing the position of **Matilda. **

Please also remember- the **Kingdom Hearts** (© Disney Enterprises and Square Enix) series and the **Legend of Mana **(© Square Enix)game is not mine.

Fun fact- both of these series are turned into manga by the same person- **Shiro Amano.**

And now, please do enjoy the story whether you are enjoyers of Romance or not!

**Chapter 1  
Wish upon the Rainbow**

"Vanitas," A little girl of age nine called; her voice soft and somewhat weak. Her blue eyes and hair glistened under the merciful sun's ray. "Can't we be together here, just like this?"

"No, Aqua," a boy, the one that the girl referred as Vanitas answered. "I can't stay much longer- the longer I stay, the more danger you are in," his voice was sweet and husky, all with the tinge of maturity in his ten-years-old figure.

Aqua just tightened her frail grip into the blue clothes that hung on the boy's hips, refusing to let go of it. Her aquamarine eyes were almost like swelling lakes, as if threatening to swallow the boy inside the deepness.

The black-haired one shook his hair and slowly pulled away from her, regret obviously showing in his expression. Aqua watched, silent. She watched as the black-haired boy dropped himself from the window of her room, which was located in the third level of a stone temple.

Not very long after Vanitas had retreated, a knock was heard from the front door of the blue-haired girl's room. A boy's voice was then heard from the outside.

"Uh... excuse me, may I come in?" the voice asked nervously, waiting for an answer from the resident of the room.

"Sure," she answered with a smile. "Just open the door,"

The door slowly creaked open, showing a boy with blonde, spiky hair. He nervously stepped into the room, his face all red. "Uh- thank you, miss..." he stuttered, looking down and trying to hide his laughable expression from the other girl.

Of course, he had failed- the meant girl was already giggling from his actions. And knowing this didn't help but to make already red face of the boy even redder.

"You don't have to be so polite in front of me, Ven..." Aqua told him, still trying to hold her giggles in the process. The blond boy, Ventus, seemed to have lightened up when she said this.

"But, everyone in the temple addressed you as miss... why shouldn't I?" Ventus answered, in a much playful tone this time around. Now Aqua was the one being surprised; even as such a young child- and a child that was raised in a family of warrior monks at that, Ventus was such a trickster. He could act all angst-like and make everyone give their sympathy at him, only to reveal later that it was all an act and laugh at them. Nobody had ever scolded him for that though, because he had never used that to bring any harm to anyone.

"Why shouldn't you? Why, because you're more special than anybody else in this temple, so you don't have to," the blue-haired girl answered in her sweetest possible voice, deciding to play through with his act.

"Uh... I..." Ventus stuttered again as he realized that his tricks had been backfired straight back at him. He had at first fumbled with the choice of words that he was going to say; before he had remembered the main reason he was inside in the first place. "Oh, yeah- I'm going to go to the rainbow peak with Terra- do you want to come too, Aqua?"

"Hmm..." Aqua muttered to herself, carefully looking at her situation. _Here she was, locked in the room that she was forced to call hers; even though it was officially the high priestess' room._"I don't know if I can..."

Ven didn't seem to be very pleased with this, and then leaned closer to the blue-haired girl, whispering, "I didn't tell Terra this because he might be angry if he knows, but I told Vanitas about it and he says he can come, too," _That, _was his ace card. If that didn't convince her to come with him, Goddess knows what else will.

True enough, there was the slightest hint of pleasure in Aqua's face as he said that, and the she immediately turned her head so that she would be face-to-face with the young monk.

"Then, count me in," she said.

The town of Gato -is a town famous for its temple of healing and the strong religious belief. It is a town carved into a Cliffside, and the mountain trail leads into a mountain where eternal rainbow resides- they call it the Rainbow Peak. The rainbow peak is located in the outskirts of the town, and most people are prohibited to enter because the mountain trail barely receives any maintenance and is a big maze filled with monsters.

However, it didn't stop a band of children from sneaking inside.

_I decided to come along with Ven, and it's quite fun, too. Ven was a big help when I exited the temple, because even though everyone knew that he was tricking them, no one would be able to resist Ven's pleading, sparkly eyes; I was included in the list, as well. _

When the two kids had arrived in the Cliffside, the way leading to the rainbow peak, there was already another boy waiting for them. His eyes were the purest of cobalt blue, and his hair a darker shade of brown than the rocks and stones that comprises the Cliffside by itself. He's quite good-looking, but the frown on his face when he taps his right foot angrily against the ground can be quite disconcerting.

"Ven, you made me wait for so long!" it was all he had said when he had spotted Aqua and Ven running along the edges of the cliff. His eyes were locked against Ven, making the blond boy gulp down air. If there are actually people that Ven was a little bit afraid of, this brunette, Terra, would definitely count as one.

"Sorry, I had to make arrangements with someone..." Ven excused, not wanting to get the worse edge of Terra's anger- because it never ends well with him. He fidgeted a bit, cold sweat trickling down his skin- and it wasn't an act.

"That someone better be important, or..." Terra muttered, still angry. Aqua, who had positioned herself behind Ven all the time, finally showed stepped forward.

"Hi," she said shyly towards Terra. She was hoping that she would not be treated hostile. Among the knight apprentices of Master Eraqus, Terra was also known as a very disciplined and strict fellow.

But even with being the best apprentice, Terra is still a good friend, never one to boast of his skills and always sincere to his own feelings.

_Even though he was still an eleven-year old child... he had such mature eyes. Those mature eyes, I can see them in both Terra and Vanitas... but I can also feel that something is very different between them._

"...uh, hi, Aqua- didn't expect to meet you here, in all places," Terra greeted, a slight hint of surprise visible in his face. Aqua walked towards the older boy and playfully poked him on the nose.

"I need to show you, of all people, that I'm not as princess-like as you think I am," she said, flashing a confident smile towards the adolescent._ I can also mean it that I wasn't the princess everyone seemed to see in me, and being a young priestess doesn't mean that one must have a phobia for a little adventure like this!_

The three of them laughed together, placing Terra as their object of humor. Not long after, a figure in black suit approached them- this figure appearing not to be any older than the rest of the group.

"Hey, did I miss anything?" Vanitas asked, waving towards the three of them, Aqua gave him a warm, welcoming smile, and so did Ven, but Terra, in turn, only gave him a slight frown- which was ignored by the black-haired boy.

"No, you didn't..." the knight apprentice answered; his voice somewhat lower than its usual tone. "We have just met up. Who let you know about this, anyway?" he asked, demanding to know.

Vanitas was about to answer his question when Aqua and Ven had interrupted him.

"Me," they both answered, sending confusion to poor Terra. The black-haired boy was also confused, as well. Terra for the reason that both of them had been telling a lie to him, and Vanitas for the reason that Aqua was trying to cover for him.

"Ugh, whatever..." the brunette decided to shrug it off, ruffling his own head in the process as a clear sign of frustration. "Let's get going, shall we? And Ven, Vanitas, be sure to protect Aqua- if the princess is scarred, we're in some great, big trouble,"

"Okay!" the blond boy replied cheerfully, making a false salute act in the process.

"Hey!" Aqua protested, "I said, I'm not your damsel in distress!" this proved to be a source of humor for the three boys and they all laughed.

"Of course you'll be doing that too – right, Terra?" Vanitas taunted a bit. "After all, the knight is the one who protects the princess..."

"...And not the demon," Terra added, his face lightening a bit. His voice had also returned into his normal, playful self. "Of course I will. Master may say demons are pure evil, but I trust that you won't do anything bad to her,"

Vanitas gave him a nod and a smirk, before they started their march on the mountain trail to reach their destination- the Rainbow Peak.

The road there was indeed not a smooth one, in some points inside the mountain's caverns they would be met with some monsters, menacing ones, like giant spiders... to the rabbit-like cuties that they had decided to leave alone,

In their encounter against creatures like this, Ven would move in to the enemies first, sending them to next year's issue with a well-aimed strike of his flail. Terra and Vanitas stayed close to Aqua, back against each other, and swiped the enemies away from the girl; Terra wielding his trusted sword and Vanitas using his bare hands. Meanwhile the young priestess, being gifted by the power to call on elemental spirits, would summon some of them to aid them in battle or to heal the boys.

You can say that their journey is going on quite smoothly.

After the umpteenth tunnel they had passed with Ven and Vanitas as the tour-guide, they finally arrived at the bottom part of the Rainbow Peak- the ethereal falls. It is said that one with pure heart will be able to see faeries and elemental spirits here.

Of course nobody had bothered to look for the faeries and the elemental spirits or to prove whether the legend was true or not at that time, because their destination was further up in the Rainbow Peak. They took the way around, climbing the stone ways and at long last reached the Rainbow Peak.

"Somehow, I never get bored of this place," Aqua said to herself as she sat on the stone ground. "Who knows such a forbidden place as the mountainside harbors such beauty?"

Terra and Ven were already chasing each other, throwing teases and taunts against each other and running in circles, not actually caring that they are on a cliff. The blond kid was sticking his tongue out, while the brunette held a look of mock disapproval as he tried to catch the quick-footed monk apprentice. Of course, all in all, they were having fun. In fact, they were having so much fun that they forgot the other two of the group. Vanitas noticed this, and took a seat beside Aqua, watching the rainbow wistfully.

"Hey, Aqua..." he decided to break the silence between the two of them. "If the wishing bird passes through, what will you wish for?"

"Me?" Aqua could feel her face redden when the black-haired boy had said so. She looked away for a moment, trying desperately to hide her face, ad then looked back at the sky, seeing the shadow of the meant 'wishing bird'. A large, ethereal-looking bird that is the guardian of Gato was soaring through the endless sky. Then, a smile curled through her lips. "If it was me... I would wish..."

"That I will no longer be a priestess, to gain my freedom,"

**A/N: **Wow! Isn't that the title of this story? Cue Title Drop! And if some of you guys do read "Void: Broken Pieces" for one reason or another, don't forget to vote on the poll in my profile and also read the new, strange summary provided also in my profile. This story's fate resides on your clicks on the **review** button and comments and/or, but not limited to, Favorites and Alerts.


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